


The Perils of Being Obi-Wan

by mercy_angel_09



Series: In a Galaxy Far, Far Away [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Drama, Extended Scene, Friendship, Gen, I spend too much time on TV Tropes oi, Introspection, Shiro's seen this movie before, he knows how it ends, hint - it's not good
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-24 08:11:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12008625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mercy_angel_09/pseuds/mercy_angel_09
Summary: Crash landed on an alien planet with a mysterious wound, Shiro finds himself contemplating what the future holds.Unfortunately he comes to the conclusion that it's not going to end well. At least for him.





	The Perils of Being Obi-Wan

**Author's Note:**

> I was pondering Shiro's character archetype and he's definitely the Mentor. To the point of quite possibly being The Obi-Wan. And yes, that includes the Mentor Occupational Hazzard. And then I realized that an academy of space explorers was probably made up of two types - the Star Wars fans and the Star Trek fans. And the paladins are quite possibly Star Wars fans. Except Pidge. She strikes me as more of a Trekkie than a Star Wars fan. But she appreciates it.
> 
> Anyway, back on track. The is the first entry in a series of fics where the paladins think about Star Wars and their lives and how nothing is ever quite like it is in the movies.

Shiro’s sitting in a cave on an unknown planet, wound throbbing and nothing but his thoughts to keep him company. Keith is on his way and it’s comforting to know that he’s not completely alone, but the creatures outside are desperate to get to him and it’s only a matter of time before he’s in reach. Time to think of something happier, then.

When he was six years old, Shiro first saw Star Wars.

It started a love affair with space and heroism and it’s arguably why Shiro joined the Galaxy Garrison in the first place. He was hardly the only person to have joined the Garrison because of either Star Wars or Star Trek, though in Shiro’s experience the Trekkies were more prevalent on the science and engineering side of the Garrison. The Star Wars fans tended to be the pilots.

His wound gives another sharp throb and Shiro wonders if he’s truly one of those hot shot X-Wing pilots he read about as a child, or if, perhaps, he’s fallen into a more hazardous category.

The mentor. The Obi-Wan. The Qui-Gon.

You know, the guy who dies so that the protagonist can continue along the Hero’s Journey, the need to avenge his fallen mentor, to right a cosmic wrong, fueling his every step.

Which makes Shiro wonder if his death would propel Keith down the path he’s destined to walk.

Not that Keith is willing to acknowledge it. He’s smart and brave almost to the point of stupidity and perhaps most of all pragmatic. Granted someone hasn’t provoked his temper. Still, Shiro knew what the other officers at the Garrison knew but refused to acknowledge – Keith was top tier commanding officer material.

It’s not the most pleasant of realizations to come to when you discover that you’re not the hero of the story. Sure, he’s been heroic, but Shiro is looking down the barrel of the realization that he’s not truly the hero. Which sucks. And is vaguely depressing. And no, knowing that his death could help Keith become the person he’s meant to be doesn’t help.

“Shiro? Are you still with me?” Keith’s voice crackles over their com link.

“Yeah, I’m here,” he huffs, the wound giving off another sharp throb of pain.

“I found the Black Lion. I’m gonna see if I can bring it to you.”

“You do that,” Shiro says, reaching out to his lion and urging it to accept Keith. “I’ll be here. Waiting.”

It’s then that the creatures manage to reach him and pull him from the safety of the cave. He’s tossed into the air like a rag doll. He powers up his arm and tries to fight back, but the pain of his wound keeps him from focusing on the fight at hand. He’s thrown again and he loses his helmet and his connection to Keith. In desperation he reaches out to his lion. _Please, please accept him. He’s worthy; I promise you he’s worthy. Probably more worthy than me._

Sweat breaks out across his body and Shiro feels an uncomfortably hot prickle across his skin. Great, a fever. And the monsters are getting closer and looking hungrier and meaner than before. He doesn’t want to die and he’s going to put up a fight. He refuses to go gentle. But if he doesn’t have a choice?

“Luminous beings are we. Not this crude matter,” Yoda had said.

“We are all star stuff,” a noted astrophysicist back on earth had said.

Well, he’ll just return to the stars then. But not before he’s ready.

It’s when he thinks that he might not get out of this situation that the Black Lion appears, Keith sitting in the pilot’s seat. Shiro takes a breath of relief, but realizes that perhaps his standing on the team isn’t secure. It’s only a matter of time before his luck runs out. And if that’s the case…

“Keith,” Shiro says, trying not to hiss in pain. They’re sitting on a bluff, high enough to see if something’s on the horizon, their lions standing behind them. “If something happens to me, I want you to lead the team. Take over flying the Black Lion.”

Keith looks at him, eyes wide and panicked. “What? No! Don’t talk like that! You’re gonna be fine. Allura and Coran will show up soon and we’ll get you down to the med bay and you’ll be fine.”

Shiro can’t stop the small chuckle that escapes due to Keith’s outburst. “But that might not always be the case. If something should happen to me, you’re the one who will take over for me.”

Keith scowls at him, but any further argument is silenced by the arrival of the Green Lion and Pidge hailing them. 

The last thought Shiro has before he’s sealed into the med bay cryopod is that he’s living on borrowed time. And he’s got to make sure that Keith is ready for when the time comes. For one day, like the Jedi in those movies from so long ago, he’ll become one with the Force.


End file.
